In The Heart of Inspiration – An Evening Tea With Shireen Maqsood

Shireen Talat Masood reading a chapter from her book to us.

My father has always said that the company he best enjoys is of people who are much senior to him. Over the years, just like everyone says, I have come to believe that I am a reflection of my dad.

When I was invited over for tea by two respectable ladies that I look up to, Eram Masood and Maliha Rao, I was not fully aware of the subject of the evening but of course, I had to be there. As expected, it turned out to be a delightful evening and today’s post is dedicated to our wonderful hostess, Shireen Maqsood who stole my heart with her grace the minute she walked in and it just got better by the hour.

I have sat and thought long and hard to give you the best possible description and to put it in a word, Ms. Maqsood is an ‘artist’. Art takes up various forms and while her brush can bring stories to life, so can her pen. In between these two, of course, lays her own existence and that is exactly what she has been working on encapsulating in a book for the past couple decades, the idea of which had stemmed as a gift to herself on turning fifty.

Surrounded by exquisite artwork, in the heart of inspiration with the lady herself being a source of immense inspiration, I was fascinated as she shared life lessons and read a chapter from her book to us that sent chills down my spine and got her teary eyed. The book is her autobiography, written in a frank tone and tells tales of her journey as a Pakistani woman. I have had a chance of reading a chapter of it and I found it to be quite relatable. I wish I could read more of it but we all have to wait for a few months before it is published for sale.

Autobiographies have always inspired me, they drive me to work hard and chase my own dreams. The reason why I am eager to read what Shireen Maqsood has to share is because I want to see how far Pakistan has come when I can still identify with her in this time and age. She is a woman of talent who belongs to the family of Anwar Maqsood and Zubaida Apa, in case her last name had not already rung a bell for you. I feel honoured to have had a chance of meeting her, she is a child at heart and has a golden personality which is why I know masses will enjoy her writing.